UP govt should allow VHP yatra from Ayodhya: BJP

The Uttar Pradesh government should give permission to the VHP's proposed yatra from Ayodhya by taking certain precautionary measures, senior BJP leader M Venkaiah Naidu said in Hyderabad on Wednesday.

"Let's see what the VHP is going to do. It is a democratic country. Permission should be given and precautions can be taken. They can be given needed guidelines also. There are lot of yatras going around in the country. How do you prevent one particular community from taking out yatra?" Venkaiah asked while talking to reporters here.

He was responding to queries on the UP government denying permission to the VHP's 'Chaurasi Kosi Yatra' (pilgrimage) proposed between August 25 and September 13.

Alleging that the food security bill is only an election ploy by the Congress, he maintained that it would give "vote security" to the ruling party.

"The first question the Congress should address is, why were you sleeping for the last nine-and-half years after coming to power in 2004? What is the reason for this delay? The Congress president has launched the scheme yesterday even without the bill being passed. The matter is under discussion," he said.

Noting that the BJP is in favour of providing food security in principle, he said the party would like to ensure nutritional security to the people.

The government needs to take care of farming community to achieve "home grown food security," he said.